Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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They can. They can still pursue cases through the national courts but the idea behind having an ICS is that it makes it easier and more simple for companies to get justice if they have been discriminated against. We have 27 member states in the EU with different courts systems and different legal systems, as well as courts at subnational level. It is similar in Canada. This simplifies things and makes things much easier, so if an Irish company has been discriminated against and has been unfairly treated, it can get justice in a way that is quicker and more transparent. That is the thinking behind it, particularly when it comes to future trade agreements. For example, we may do trade agreements with companies other than Canada where we are less confident that their court systems would treat us fairly and that is where an international system can be helpful.